Representatives of eight I-League clubs who met AIFF officials including league committee chairman Subrata Dutta, I-League CEO Sunando Dhar and general secretary Kushal Das also asked for Rs 25 lakh special allowance this term for each team and an overall marketing budget of Rs 50 lakh.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will discuss I-League clubs’ proposals at a meeting of the league committee on July 5.(AFP)

The overall prize purse of this I-League would increase to Rs 2.75 crore should a suggestion of the clubs playing this season’s competition be approved. Increasing the number of foreigners to eight per team was also among the raft of proposals made to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) by representatives of eight clubs in a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

It will still be less than one-fifth of the prize money offered for the Indian Super League (ISL) which offered Rs 15 crore last term but a rise of Rs 50 lakh in a season where the leagues would run concurrently from November. And it isn’t the only concession the AIFF could have to make.

Representatives of eight I-League clubs who met AIFF officials including league committee chairman Subrata Dutta, I-League CEO Sunando Dhar and general secretary Kushal Das also asked for Rs 25 lakh special allowance this term for each team and an overall marketing budget of Rs 50 lakh.

According to an official who attended, the clubs have also proposed that any new team which joins the I-League be asked to contribute Rs 2 crore to the marketing budget for 2017-18. The official requested anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to the media.

Again this won’t be a patch on what ISL spends but would be the most the I-League has on promotion.

All new I-League clubs must pay Rs 3 crore annually for the first three seasons to develop football. For this season, the clubs have proposed that only Rs 1 crore be earmarked for that and the rest used for marketing the league.

A committee comprising representatives of the top five I-League clubs last term will drive this fund along with the AIFF, said the official.

Eight foreigners

In another attempt to match ISL, clubs have sought to be allowed to sign eight foreigners. Two would be of Asian origin, the clubs have proposed. They want to be allowed to play five, like it is being planned for ISL4, with one in the starting 11 being of Asian origin. It was four last season.